National Lab Briefs

Science Teachers Want It Cheap And Real The number of projects aimed at improving science education in U.S. schools is growing so quickly that officials at Argonne National Laboratory say it wasn't easy "to offer something new and important." But Lou Harnisch thinks that he's found the answer. Harnisch, a Chicago high school teacher on a leave of absence at Argonne, has launched a program that relies on cheap-to-produce equipment and the glamour of real-life topics to excite youngsters in Chica


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Science Teachers Want It Cheap And Real The number of projects aimed at improving science education in U.S. schools is growing so quickly that officials at Argonne National Laboratory say it wasn't easy "to offer something new and important." But Lou Harnisch thinks that he's found the answer. Harnisch, a Chicago high school teacher on a leave of absence at Argonne, has launched a program that relies on cheap-to-produce equipment and the glamour of real-life topics to excite youngsters in Chicago public schools. A survey of 3,200 area teachers convinced Harnisch and lab officials that what was missing from the curriculum were inexpensive, easy-to-use laboratory modules spun off from ongoing research at the lab. Such work includes recombinant organisms like photosynthetic bacteria, or environmental experimentation with biodegradable potato plastics, which Harnisch and a group of fellow teachers use to develop modules for classroom use. "We know how to level the ...

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